[size=13pt]Boko Haram spokesman pleads guilty, convicted[/size]

• Court defers sentencing
• I didn’t do it –Sen. Ndume

An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court yesterday convicted the spokesman of Boko Haram, Ali Sada Umar Konduga, who pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him by the State Security Service (SSS).

He was arraigned alongside Senator Ali Ndume on a one-count charge of felony, Ndume pleaded not guilty. They were docked before Chief Magistrate Oyebola Oyewumi.

But the court deferred sentencing Konduga until the allegations against Senator Ndume who pleaded not guilty, are determined.

Clad in immaculate white babanriga and a cap to match, Senator Ndume was closed to tears in the dock as he looked uncomfortable throughout the duration of the trial which lasted for one hour.
He told the court that he never anticipated that he would spend the night in SSS custody when he was arrested on Monday.

The accused were ordered to be remanded in SSS custody. They are to be given unhindered access to their lawyers and doctors as Ndume had complained that he suffers from prostate cancer and had not taken his medication since his arrest on Monday night.

At the hearing, the prosecutor, C.I. Osagie, said that the accused persons conspired to commit felony, breach of official trust, criminal intimidation by anonymous communication by sending messages to some senior public officials including the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), contrary to Sections 79, 98 and 398 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).

The second accused person, (Konduga) speaking through an interpreter, Mustapha Shehu Ismail, pleaded guilty to the one count charge and asked the court for leniency as the offence has already been committed.
He told the court that he had sent text messages to Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Senator Sanusi Dagash, Ambassador Seriki Tafida and the Chairman of the Borno State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, Justice Sabo Adamu.

The first accused person, (Senator Ndume) pleaded not guilty to the charge. He pleaded with the court to have access to his lawyers and medication, a request that was granted by Chief Magistrate Oyewumi.
Sentencing Konduga, Chief Magistrate Oyewumi said: “In view of the plea of guilty by the second accused person and having failed to show why he should not be convicted, he is hereby convicted for the offence of criminal intimidation contrary to Section 398 of the CPC.

In granting the request by the prosecution that the conviction be stayed since investigation was almost completed and that the accused person be remanded in the custody of the SSS said “the accused are hereby remanded in the custody of the SSS with an unhindered access to their lawyers and doctors. He adjourned the case for hearing on December 6.
The bid by counsel to Ndume, C.I. Nnaemeka, to secure his bail failed, as the court insisted that a formal application be filed.

It would be recalled that the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, had disclosed that it has been able to sustain its activities because it has the financial backings of prominent politicians from Borno State.
Boko Haram’s spokesperson, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, (aka Usman Al-Zawahiri) disclosed this when he was paraded before newsmen in Abuja on Monday.
SSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, Deputy Director, Public Relations, who anchored the parade, had earlier in her brief stated that Konduga’s confession fingering a serving National Assembly member as the current sponsors of the group.

Konduga, had in his confessional statement, disclosed that the group started as a collection of political thugs during the regime of a former Borno State governor but fell out with him when one of their major sponsors who was a commissioner under the former governor was dropped from the state cabinet and later killed by security operatives in a crackdown on the sect members.

The death of the commissioner, he said, was responsible for the opposition of the group against the ex-governor which culminated in the decision to support any other political party against the ex-governor.
The war against the former governor, he said, was the reason for the escalation of blood-shed in the state. The group had carried out several attacks, killing scores of people in the North and Abuja.

He corroborated the claim made by Ogar who told journalists that a former Ambassador Pinda became the main financier of the group when it fell out the ex-governor, as the group was hijacked by his opponents, and used to cause crisis in the state while the battle to unseat the former governor lasted.
The name, Usman Al-Zawahiri, Ogar claimed, was given to Konduga by the late ambassador to conceal his identity and portray him as an extremist, but Konduga who spoke through an interpreter, said he was the one who coined the name himself.

He, however, revealed the name of the ambassador, who took over the running of the group after it fell out with the former governor as Alhaji Pinda.
Pinda, Konduga said, died while on his way to the sect’s hideout to deliver N5 million as part payment of a N10 million running expenses for the group which was contacted to work for his (Pinda) political party.
According to the SSS, it was after the death of Pinda that Ndume allegedly took over the running of the group’s activities.

Konduga, in his confessional statements before newsmen, however, refused to state categorically, if Ndume was a financier of the group, but admitted that they have a good relationship with him.
He said his text message communication with Senator Ali Ndume was to ask him why he accepted membership of the Federal Government committee on the security situation in the North-East.
According to him, the escalation of the activity of the Boko Haram in Borno State was to stop All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) from winning elections.

He also admitted that the threat text message was sent to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the ground of his relationship with former governor of Borno State.
He admitted that text messages were sent to everybody that had a hand in the emergence of ANPP in Borno State and to the Election Tribunal.

He also admitted that text messages scripted for him was used on many occasions to threaten the justices of the election petition tribunal in Maiduguri so as get them to sack the present government in Borno.
The same Senator, the SSS claimed, was responsible for the threat message sent to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), and Minister of Justice by the group, in order to compel him (AGF) to influence the judgment of the tribunal against the Borno State government.

Highlights of some of his admissions include: “That he was recruited by a political party stalwart in Maiduguri, Borno State; that following the compulsory registration of all SIM cards nationwide, he was asked to steal a SIM card which he used in sending threat text messages; and also that the pseudo name, Usman Al-Zawahiri was given to him by the said politician to portray him as an extremists as well as conceal his true identity.

“That one of his benefactors promised to pay him N10million to work for his party but by stint of fate, he died on his way to deliver the part payment of five million naira (N5 million) to him;
“That consequent upon this, subject claimed a serving member of the National Assembly took over the running of his activities;

“That he was behind the threat messages sent to the justices of the Election Tribunal in Maiduguri. His objective was to ensure that the tribunal sacks the present government in Borno State.
“That he was also behind other threat messages sent to Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Governor Babangida Aliyu, Amb. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and Justice Sabo Adamu, chairman of the Election Petition Tribunal in Borno State;
• That most of the threat text messages he sent to Justice Sabo Adamu, were scripted and relayed to him by the National Assembly member; and
• That the threat text messages eventually led to the relocation of the election petition tribunal from Maiduguri to Abuja.

http://sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/nov/23/national-23-11-2011-001.html

Interesting! That conviction was fast.

Did Pinda really die or has he faked his death ?

So this person has been found guilty of criminal intimidation, but not felony!

It means, while thousands may have died, either directly through his actions or indirectly through his activities with others, he will now be "severely punished" with a sentence not more than 5 years. . .

The Nigerian Judicial system, simply the best!

Hnmmn.
Escalation of violence in Borno was to prevent the ANPP from gaining more political power.
PDP, such a devilish party.

I still find this quite spurious. Even criminals first plea not guilty until offered some sourght of bargain,

What was the bargain in this case
Did this alleged BH guy decided to start singing just over night

There is definitely more to this story than meets d eye, we shouldn't make d mistake of wiping d surface while letting the main issue fester underneath.

Really more to it.

Was Pinder killed by a Predator drone? That accident report sounds funny!

A hardened religious fanatic who was ready to give up his life for his course cannot just start singing over night, something is definitely missing in this puzzle

dey should scrape off his dick and then ask am watsup

You never really can trust this system. In Nigeria, succeeding governments set out from the first minute to deceive the people they are meant to rule. that is an established model and its shaddow hangs around every issue that requires the citizens to trust the intention of their government. This one will never be different. the hasty sentencing, in a nation with an abject history of record keeping, nobody can tell where this young man will be led to at the end of this Shakespearian outing, to the prison to pay for his crime against humanity, or to the bank, to be paid for a job well done? With an estimated forty million Almajiris marauding the north, there are millions of hopeless souls ready to be roped into this play, just to save this system from embarrassment. Just my thougt!

I don't know if it is just me, this whole boko haram confession looks too "easy" for me to believe.

Me too. Hope its not part of the ploy to distract an already distracted fG?

Too easy, too fast for someone of such profile. I remain unconvinced.

Another plea bargain? Nigerians ambitious lawyers asleep cos d usual thing is not guilty, as if there is a can of worm somewhere. By the way I tot there was grumbling about sentencing terrorists to death sometime ago?

Ten Kobo:

You never really can trust this system. In Nigeria, succeeding governments set out from the first minute to deceive the people they are meant to rule. that is an established model and its shaddow hangs around every issue that requires the citizens to trust the intention of their government. This one will never be different. the hasty sentencing, in a nation with an abject history of record keeping, n[b]obody can tell where this young man will be led to at the end of this Shakespearian outing, to the prison to pay for his crime against humanity, or to the bank, to be paid for a job well done?[/b] With an estimated forty million Almajiris marauding the north, there are millions of hopeless souls ready to be roped into this play, just to save this system from embarrassment. Just my thougt!

My dear, After the case of "James Onanefe Ibori", hmm. I dont know if anything is impossible. I think that man would smile to the bank.

Ali Sada Umar Konduga,the boko haram's spokesman is an illiterate of western education brainwashed to carry on an assignment,but was not told the consequencies of his action maybe he would have sworn to an oath before not to reveal any secret or confessed to any claim.when paraded on the TV he was visibly intimidated with the strange presense of the SSS around him that 'he began singing to please the SSS'.
But senator ndume,Obtained a sound Western Education (check his biography profile on wikipedia);Background

Mohammed Ali Ndume was born around 1961 in Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State. He attended Kaduna Polytechnic and then the University of Toledo, USA, where he gained a Masters Degree in Accounting and Computer. He became a Senior Lecturer in Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, Borno State until 2003, when he entered politics.[1]

ANPP politician

Ndume was elected to represent Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency in April 2003 and was reelected in April 2007, on the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) platform.[1] He was appointed Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.[2]

In an August 2010 interview, Ndume said "the PDP in the last 11 years has vandalized Nigeria; they have only introduced kidnapping, assassination, militancy, armed robbery, power degeneration and widespread religious crisis".[3] In a September interview he praised the record of the ANPP in Borno State, building roads and hospitals. He said "The PDP government has been holding the Federal Government for 11 years now and they have done nothing, except cause chaos in Nigeria".[4]
[b]Now,this senator condecended to use someone who is as good as an almajiri to carry on chaos on Nigerians including killing of corps members is Borno state.Moneys in billions disbursed to make people of borno to better their life were channelled to the boko haram cause.
''Boko haram'' western education is evil (the mobile phone they use to send text is western,the car the use to detonate bomb;western.their computer network;western. now how do you sincerely described this senator who obtained the western education,and aquired knowledge that makes him know the implication of 'pleading guilty' before a judge by pleading 'not guilty' thereby puting the whole case on his lawyer to defend him,so as to even if found guilty after so many adjurnments would serve few months in prison,but he promotes a boko haram cause  that deprives  ''  the  Boko Haram’s spokesperson, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, (aka Usman Al-Zawahiri)and the rest boko haram almajiris ''quality education that made the spokesman get convicted when he pleads guilty to the 'count charges' which automatically rules out  that,there is nothing to prove by hiring any lawyer for him,he nailed his cofin because of lack of western education,as he was hired an interpreter to even tell him the meaning of conviction.but Senator ndume will give his own children a sound western education like himself,who study in the USA,home of the west,HYPOCRYTE.
But then do you blame senator Ndume? if there is no crack on the wall,the lizard will not hide or pass through it, The moslem or islam religion is said to be a religion of peace,but im yet to understand the peace reffered to maybe it is a relative peace that is meant for the majority or  peace meant for just few individuals who can manipulates and determines the living standard of others thereby causing pain to the majority making them to believe that there is a God responsible for their pain.
The moslem or islam religion promotes or became 'a platform'that flourishes  the concept of almajiris in the North till tommorow making them a ready made tools or robots for violence.
Get me right,the religion itself is good if applied according to the original purpose.but its weaknesses outshines its virtues,and the Moslem society in Nigeria refused to come out with a disclaimer to the fundamentalists or the extremists of islam except some individuals who just pay some lip servive,there is no major disclaimer,which i see as HYPOCRYTES.their silence is evil and noticable by God.  [/b]

..........

This is obviously too easy. A lot is yet to be said.

The Nigerian govt. Should get Jack Bauer to solve this mystery.

Aside from the confession, is there any real evidence linking either this Kondunga guy or Sen. Ndume to the actual bombings? To me a confession is next to worthless as evidence. Any random person will confess to killing Jesus if you beat him long enough and we all know that the police and security agencies routinely torture suspects. Plus the guy could be crazy or just an attention seeker trying to get rich off the fear of Boko Haram.

Anybody could claim to be representing BH. The fact that he was asking for money suggests that he might just be an incompetent fraudster. Unless they have some hard evidence linking this guy to the bombers or the bombmakers, then as far as I'm concerned, they haven't achieved anything.

The last thing we need is for the police to start thinking that all they need is a confession to solve a case, because they will get one by hook or by crook. And this Boko Haram issue is too important for the the security agencies to get sidetracked on irrelevances. We all know of their legendary ability to bungle high-profile cases.

make dey jail am end of tory

[color=#006600][/color]I dont belive that at all, 2 easy 2 belive!

This whole thing is just too easy, but we believe God is on the throne, all those who are doing evil in the name of Politics in this country WILL DIE BY FIRE

i can't believe this story.i'm sure the guy was paid so say what he said.i'm very sure he is one of the boko haram errand boys.